Osaka Escapes Ruzic Trap to Reach Australian Open Second Round, Kasatkina Shocked in Home Debut

Naomi Osaka Survives Tough Battle in Melbourne to Advance, Kasatkina Falls Early in Australian Open Home Debut

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Adrien Guyot

le 20/01/2026 à 12h53

2 min to read

Bartunkova Nikola Bencic Belinda Cirstea Sorana Kasatkina Daria Open d'Australie Osaka Naomi Ruzic Antonia

The final first-round matches at the Australian Open took place on Tuesday evening in Melbourne. In the women's draw, two-time champion Naomi Osaka featured on Rod Laver Arena.

The Japanese star faced Antonia Ruzic for the first time in her career. The Croatian, world No. 65, looked like a potential trap match for Osaka on paper. This proved true on court.

The former world No. 1 quickly led 3-0 in the first set before her opponent leveled at 3-3. Ultimately, she closed out the set stronger to take the lead. But Ruzic didn't give up. More solid on serve, she won the second set to force a decisive third.

Osaka Prevails, Kasatkina Out in First Round

The decider featured several momentum swings. Ruzic led 4-3 with Osaka to serve, but Osaka reeled off three straight games to win (6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in 2h22).

The four-time Grand Slam champion had to dig deep but advances to the second round, where she'll face Sorana Cirstea, who defeated Eva Lys earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina faltered again. For her first Australian Open as an Australian, the world No. 47 fell in the opener to Nikola Bartunkova. The Czech qualifier dampened the mood at ANZ Arena.

After conceding a bagel in the second set, the No. 126 in the WTA rankings dug deep to win (7-6, 0-6, 6-3 in 2h02) and will face Belinda Bencic for a spot in the round of 16. Kasatkina, meanwhile, suffered her third loss in four matches in 2026.